BAR Barcelona test summary 2003-11-25/27

B.A.R GET OFF TO STRONG START WITH '04 CONCEPT CAR
This week, the Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda team returned to action at the
Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona as the six-week test ban was lifted,
allowing the teams to begin preparations for 2004.

B.A.R GET OFF TO STRONG START WITH '04 CONCEPT CAR

This week, the Lucky Strike B*A*R Honda team returned to action at the
Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona as the six-week test ban was lifted,
allowing the teams to begin preparations for 2004. Jenson Button and
Takuma Sato carried out the driving duties at the intensive three-day
test (25-27 November), which saw the introduction of the '04 Concept
car, an interim step before the February launch of the B*A*R Honda 006.

The demanding 4.728km Barcelona track is situated 20 km north of
the Catalan capital and is an ideal venue for testing aerodynamic
efficiency and tyres and features a mixture of high and low-speed
corners and a long straight. The main focus of the test was to evaluate
the performance of the new rear-end package which included the 2004
engine from Honda, and was also the first opportunity for the team to
work with Michelin and to re-optimise the car in light of this change.

Following a preparation and installation day on Tuesday, Jenson was able
to complete over 740km of testing over Wednesday and Thursday. Takuma,
who was driving the B*A*R Honda 005 car, completed a total of 45 laps on
the first day as part of a tyre evaluation programme.

On Wednesday, Jenson took the opportunity to get to grips with the
Concept car and its Michelin tyres. He completed 84 laps without any
problems, setting the second quickest time of the day, 01:17.422. Taku,
who was continuing with tyre evaluation in the B*A*R Honda 005, also
experienced good reliability and notched up 69 laps during the day with
a fastest time of 01:17.699.

Despite overnight rain, which left the track cold and damp, the
final day saw both drivers covering a considerable distance in their
respective cars. The rain presented a chance for the team to try the
Michelin wet tyres for the first time and both Jenson and Taku completed
a short wet tyre programme.

On the final day, Jenson completed 87 laps in the '04 Concept car with a
best time of 01:17.495, while Taku managed an excellent 108 laps with a
fastest lap of 01:18.054. Over the three days, the two drivers completed
1868km.

Jenson Button:

"I am really glad to be back behind the wheel. The team concentrated
on running through procedures and working on reliability and after an
installation day on Tuesday, the car has been running very smoothly.
I think we have achieved what we hoped to do, which was to get a good
number of miles on the car, and we have managed over 400 kilometres on
each of the last two days."

"The new Honda engine has been running well and reliably, which is a
good sign. This has also been the first test working with our new tyre
partners, and as expected we have learned a lot about the differences
needed in car set-up. The team is going to do a lot of work on the basis
of what we have learned and that will help us to find the best set-up
and get the most out of the tyres at the remaining two tests of the
year. It has been encouraging to see the times we have set and it will
be good to get some more miles on the clock in Jerez next week."

Takuma Sato:

"It was a great feeling to get back into the cockpit; it seems a long
time since Suzuka! This was my first test as a B*A*R race driver and
I was much more aware that my feedback would have a direct influence
on myself, rather than just for the team and I think that helped me to
focus even more."

"My race engineer, Jock Clear, and I worked hard together over the three
days and I think we're building on our relationship, which started in
Suzuka. We have a good understanding of each other and are developing my
personal set-up. It was also good to see Jenson again and pick up where
we left off in Japan. Together, I think we can develop a very strong car
for B*A*R over the testing period. I was excited to hear his comments on
the '04 Concept car and I can't wait to drive it myself."

Geoffrey Willis, Technical Director:

"This was the first time we had run the 2004 engine and rear-end package
together and we also had our first outings on Michelin tyres. It was
to be expected that there would be initial teething problems with all
of these new elements being brought together, so the fact that we were
able to complete over 400 km fault free on the first full day (421 km in
total) with a completely new engine, gearbox, suspension and hydraulics
is very impressive and a tribute to all the hard work and attention that
has gone in to design, manufacture and build."

"We have an extensive test programme planned for the rest of the year
and beyond, and the aim now is to continue our assessment of the new
package in terms of reliability and to build on the relationship we have
established with Michelin this week."

Shuhei Nakamoto, Engineering Director, Honda Racing Development:

"It's great to be back in action on the track, and we're pleased with
the first test of our new engine, having had no hardware problems with
it over the three days. We have collected a lot of data, which we are
encouraged by and we are looking forward to next week's test in Jerez,
where we will be running an engine with a longer life than this one."